He had no interest in the throne. He had long since abandoned politics, preferring to lose himself in his books. Alchemy. It was a fascinating field, the art of creating something new from base materials—an act that bordered on the miraculous.

The world looked down on alchemy as a cursed practice, but he didn't care. It was far more important to him than the opinions of others. Nothing was more rewarding than a day spent immersed in research.

Of course, his father, King Pelion Yngwe of Brynhart, always watched him with disapproval. It was only natural. His eldest son, the heir apparent, had forsaken his birthright for a forbidden art. But Larkan paid no mind to the judgment of others, not even his own father. He walked his own path.

Eventually, it became clear the throne would pass to the second prince, Ryan. The kingdom's nobles, seeing no future with Larkan, flocked to his younger brother's side. So, while Larkan remained cloistered in the capital, perfecting his alchemy, Ryan built his power base in the political arena. Soon, the people of the kingdom chanted Ryan's name, not his.

His mother, Queen Rubiela, worried for her forgotten son and visited him daily. But Larkan had already sealed his heart, refusing to speak even with his own family. He would not be swayed.

Then came the day he delved into summoning through alchemy. It was a dangerous art, calling forth a being from materials alone, but his curiosity was insatiable. He transmuted a summoning circle and succeeded.

'A miracle,' he had thought. 'I've summoned a being from another dimension!'

He rejoiced, believing he had taken another great step in his art. But it was a grave miscalculation. The being he had summoned was the Frost Queen, the witch Yuslan. And with her arrival, the kingdom was set on a path to ruin.

In a single moment, the capital of Brynhart was encased in ice. Yuslan raised an army of frost and laid waste to the surrounding cities. Only then did Larkan realize the terrible thing he had done, but it was far too late.

"Gaaah!"

"B-Brother! Why? Why did you destroy our kingdom!"

"Traitor! Larkan Yngwe, I will curse you for all eternity!"

Yuslan slaughtered the royal family one by one. Larkan could only watch in horror as their hate-filled gazes fell upon him, their dying curses echoing in his ears. His despair reached its peak when the last survivor, his father, collapsed.

"R… Run, Larkan," Pelion choked out, his life fading. "The bloodline of Yngwe… must not be broken!"

The man who had always looked at him with such disappointment was now using his final breath to save him. In that moment, Larkan was crushed by regret, finally understanding the preciousness of the family he had lost.

"So, you are the one who summoned me," Yuslan had said, her voice like cracking ice. "I will grant you a special mercy. I will not kill you. Instead, you will live forever, tormented by your guilt."

She placed a curse upon him. He would not age, he would not sicken, and he could not die. The curse even prevented him from taking his own life. Cast out from the ruins of his home, Larkan wandered for centuries. He would stumble into villages, and every time he felt the warmth of human kindness, the guilt would tighten around his throat like a noose.

Eventually, he returned to the source of his misery—Yuslan's Ice Palace—and willingly imprisoned himself within its walls. There he remained for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Every night, he relived the destruction of his kingdom in his dreams. Every waking moment, he heard the resentful voices of the dead. It was an endless, agonizing atonement.

---

Larkan's eyes snapped open, his body drenched in a cold sweat. He sat up, his gaze sweeping across the familiar room. The ghosts of his family were there, as always, their spectral forms staring at him with bottomless resentment.

'I curse you.'

'Give us back our kingdom, traitor!'

'I miss my family. But you killed them. I can never see them again.'

It was always the same. A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he turned his head away. Footsteps echoed from the hallway.

'Is it that demon again?'

Dungeon Master Taehyun Yoo. That's what the creature had called himself. Larkan despised demons. Like Yuslan, they were beings from another dimension. They might call themselves Dungeon Masters on this continent, but their essence was the same.

Soon, Taehyun's face appeared at the bars of his cell. "I'm back again."

"Hah," Larkan scoffed. "How long do you plan on bothering me? Don't you ever get tired of it?"

"Still don't feel like talking? In that case, I'll leave."

"No, wait," Larkan said, a wave of weariness washing over him. "You'll just come back even if I chase you away. I'll give you a chance instead. The aura in this palace has grown stronger; it seems you've reached the next stage. If you can clear the tenth floor of this stage, I will grant you a 'conversation'."

He knew Taehyun was aiming for the tenth floor again. It was the perfect way to get rid of the nuisance.

'The dungeon's rank may have risen to C, but clearing the tenth floor of this stage is impossible,' he thought. 'That should be the end of this annoyance.' The spirits on Normal difficulty were a full tier stronger, and the Guardian would be even more powerful. No C-rank Dungeon Master could possibly succeed.

"I'll hold you to that promise," Taehyun said.

"…Now get lost."

"As you wish."

Taehyun gave a slight bow and disappeared. The fading footsteps told Larkan he was heading for the next floor. Larkan sighed, shaking his head.

"Is this what they call attachment?" he muttered to himself. He had intended to ignore the demon as always, but for some reason, he had spoken against his own wishes. He picked up the alchemy book from his bed, a fresh wave of regret washing over him.

---

Meanwhile, Taehyun returned to his soldiers, a pleased smile on his face.

'The guy who's been ignoring me all this time is finally cracking. It must be because of the Normal difficulty.' He had been met with nothing but silence before, but today he'd found an opening. If he could clear the tenth floor, his chances of recruiting the alchemist would skyrocket. He knew little about alchemy, but a Named NPC was bound to be useful.

"Master Taehyun, did it go well?" Riel asked.

"I wouldn't say 'well,' but at least he spoke to me," Taehyun replied. "He must be getting tired of me, since he suddenly set a condition. He probably thinks I won't be able to clear the tenth floor."

The spirits on Normal difficulty were certainly strong. Even the fodder-level ones were C-rank, making the challenge feel significantly harder. But with two Guardians and an army hardened by constant training, he was confident. They had already reached the fourth floor without issue.

"Have the soldiers recovered?"

"Yes, they're all ready."

"Good. We're challenging the next floor immediately."

Without hesitation, Taehyun initiated the challenge for the fifth floor.

[You have reached the 5th floor of the Ice Palace.]

[The spirits guarding the 5th floor have been summoned.]

The spirits materialized, signaling the start of the battle. Taehyun ordered his shieldbearers forward, forming a defensive line.

"Intruder. Unforgivable!"

"Must kill. This is Lady Yuslan's palace!"

"Let's freeze them!"

The C-rank Intermediate Ice Spirits, the 'Shiveras', swarmed the shieldbearers with ferocious intensity.

[Intermediate Ice Spirit Shivera has used Frost Crystal.]

[Intermediate Ice Spirit Shivera has used Frost Crystal.]

[Intermediate Ice Spirit Shivera has used Frost Crystal.]

[An AoE skill is spreading throughout the 5th floor.]

As the area-of-effect skills washed over them, his soldiers faltered. A sudden, biting chill began to freeze their bodies, restricting their movements. At Taehyun's command, Riel cast Sublime Will on the front line. Her skill had leveled up; a single cast now blessed ten soldiers at once.

"Hold on as long as you can!" Taehyun commanded. "Archers, mages, spirit users, fall back! Do not engage!"

With the Frost Crystal debuff stacking, a counterattack was impossible. He used his shieldbearers as a wall, weathering the storm.

[The Intermediate Ice Spirit Shiveras' Frost Crystal has ended.]

[The Frost Crystals covering the floor are disappearing.]

As the effect faded, Taehyun pushed his shieldbearers forward. The goblin archers and imp mages unleashed a volley of ranged attacks from the rear, and Grai charged in alongside the melee warriors.

"Haaaaah!" Grai roared.

With Mederia adding her own ranged support, the Shiveras began to fall, crying out in agony. As her magic bullets exploded across the battlefield, Grai, not to be outdone, plunged into the heart of the enemy ranks and unleashed his Storm Splitter.

"Storm Splitter!"

The arc of his sword widened, carving through the spirits and inflicting critical damage. Riding the momentum, Taehyun issued a rapid series of commands.

"Warriors, rotate out when your health gets low! Archers, focus your fire on the ice spikes to protect our melee troops!"

His precise commands kept the battle flowing smoothly, and the enemy numbers dwindled until none were left.

[The Intermediate Ice Spirit Shiveras have returned to the embrace of nature.]

[You have cleared the 5th floor of the Ice Palace.]

[You have acquired 300,000 Zen as a reward.]

[The experience of Balak's soldiers increases by 750.]

[The combat experience of all units has slightly increased.]

"Phew. The number of these intermediate spirits keeps increasing," Taehyun muttered, examining the loot that had dropped.

[C-rank Mana Stone × 54]

[C-rank Spirit Stone Fragment × 12]

[Frost-Covered Plate Armor]

[Frost-Covered Dagger]

[Frost-Covered Totem]

[Trace of Intense Cold]

[270,000 Zen]

Another large haul of C-rank magic stones. At this rate, he'd have everything he needed for a B-rank dungeon upgrade by the time he cleared Normal difficulty.

'I'll definitely gather enough C-rank stones, but I won't upgrade right away.' Managing two dungeons was already a strain. Without a stable Zen income, a B-rank dungeon would be impossible to maintain. He decided to wait until after the Holy Kingdom invasion.

"M-Master Taehyun! Something's wrong with the goblins!" Riel cried out.

"What?!" He rushed over to them.

"Kee, kieeeek!"

"Kieh! Kieeek!"

"Kiaeeeeh!"

The goblins were all clutching their heads, writhing in agony. Stunned, Taehyun tried to check their status.

[Attempting to evolve through continued training and growth.]

[Unable to check the status window of the High Goblins.]

"E-Evolution?!" He tried again, but the system message was clear: evolution in progress. Before his eyes, the goblins' skin began to darken and shift, their bodies contorting as they were reborn.

[100 High Goblins have successfully evolved.]

[High Goblins have been upgraded to High Evil Goblins, their rank increasing by one stage.]

Their ears were sharper, their skin a deep brown. They were taller, more muscular, and their eyes held a new, vicious gleam. They looked undeniably stronger. Taehyun approached them, still dazed.

"Kieh! Master Taehyun, we're stronger now!"

"We've gotten stronger, yes, we have! Kieh! Kieeek!"

"We are Evil Goblins! Kieh!"

They were all chattering excitedly, their speech patterns eerily similar to Kinjo's.

"…So now I have a hundred more Kinjos," Taehyun groaned, unsure whether to be pleased or horrified.

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